Nederlandse historische bronnen 10

5

Hague, 10th September 1728

My Lord, I am honoured with your Lordship's letter of the 25 past from Gratz¹³, for which I return you my humble thanks.

The States General are now less allarmed on account of the troubles in Oostfrize since the Cardinal de Fleury's declaration in favour of their rights in those parts; but they have very little confidence in the promises of the imperial ministers, for a commission moderating those affairs so as to make them easy and they will be strictly upon their guard till they see the effects of those promises.

The dangerous illness of the Elector Palatine is at present their chief concern¹⁴. They apprehend that the Emperor and the King of Prussia will immediately upon

13 Waldegrave had accompanied the Emperor Charles VI on a tour of some of his dominions that took him to Styria.

14 George II, as Elector of Hanover, and the Dutch feared that competing Prussian and Wittelsbach claims on the succesion of Karl Philipp, Elector Palatine 1716-1742, and in particular on his lower Rhenish duchies of Jülich and Berg would lead to a war in their vicinity, and to the danger of Prussia becoming more powerful in the Rhineland. A dangerous illness of Karl Philipp's in 1728 led to fears of imminent conflict. Horatio Walpole to Townshend, 28 Aug., Townshend to Horatio Walpole, 22 Aug. 1728 OS, BL, Add., num. 32757, f. 485-486, 522-524; Sutton to Townshend, 2, 13 Sept., 4 Oct. 1728, PRO, num. 81/122; Naumann, Österreich, England und das Reich, 145.

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the death of that Elector take possession of Bergues, Juliers and Ravenstein¹⁵ and they must consider upon means to prevent so fatal a blow as that would be to them.

I shall be obliged to your Lordship if you would be pleased to acquaint me with what you can discover of the measur[e]s the Emperor and the K. of Prussia design to take in that case. If the K. of Poland whose life according to the last advices is despaired of¹⁶ should dye, the States hope they shall have less to fear from the K. of Prussia who will then have his hands full in those parts.

Yesterday dyed here in his 82 year mynheer Van Hogerheyde, reciever general of the province of Holland. It is said that his employment, which is one of the most lucrative and considerable in this Republick, will be given to mynheer Hop, the States' ambassador at the Congress.

I am with the greatest truth and respect - - -

15 The Emperor claimed a right to sequester disputed inheritances.

16 The imminent death of Augustus II of Saxony-Poland 1670-1733, was reported frequently in the 1720s. Sir Cyril Wych, British resident in the Hansa towns, to Townshend, 31 Aug., 3 Sept. 1728, PRO, num. 82/45, f. 280, 283.